10 Ways to Deal with Police Wife Anxiety
You’re awake at 4am. Your spouse was supposed to be home 2 hours ago. You texted him, but he didn’t respond. Your worst nightmare comes to mind. You cannot get back to sleep.
You’re on social media and see that a police officer has been injured in your spouse’s work area. You text him, but he doesn’t respond. Your worst nightmare comes to mind. You can’t focus on anything else the rest of the day.
Your spouse tells you that he has to work protests and the protestors have been rioting for days. You feel helpless as you know your spouse is tired.
Your spouse tells you about something scary that happened at work, and you can’t stop thinking about it (You may want to check out my blog on Paranoia).
I have been there. Here are 10 ways to address how to be a cop’s wife and deal with anxiety:
Don’t expect check-in text or phone calls from your spouse. You want him to focus on his own safety while at work. This can be hard, but remember that no news is good news.
If your spouse has a smart watch (such as this apple watch*), they can send you a heart icon to let you know they are okay.
Exchange numbers with a friend of your spouses’ who is also a police officer. If anything happened to your officer, then this friend would contact you.
Trust his training. Encourage him to stay in shape by giving him time to workout, such a jiujitsu and/or MMA.
Distract yourself with things you enjoy. Find a hobby you love, watch a show your spouse would not want to watch, etc.
Stay off social media and turn off the news if you find that it brings you down.
Engage in aerobic exercise 15-20 minutes per day. Choose a workout that you enjoy. If you exercise 15-20 minutes per day, it has been shown to relieve stress. 1 My favorite in MadFit (free 15-20 minute workouts on YouTube or a paid app).
Eat more plant-based foods or even consider a plant-based diet. Plant-based diets has been strongly associated with improved anxiety. I personally love “The Adaptable Feast” cookbook* meant for households with meat lovers and vegetarians.
Practice mindfulness. It has been shown to improve anxiety in many studies. 3 I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She has workouts for every ailment- both body and mind.
Take Ashwagandha (aka Ashwa) supplements. Ashwa is an ancient root; multiple research studies have shown that it is linked to reductions in anxiety. I was having migraines from anxiety and they stopped after I started taking them. I love Goli Ashwa gummies (10% off code “heelsandholsters”)*.
*Affiliate link. I may make income from your purchase.